Members of the public name Household Cavalry horses

Thirty Household Cavalry horses are due to pass out of training complete with new names – chosen, for the first time, by members of the public.

The regiment invited people to suggest names and vote via its Facebook page, to mark its role in the Diamond Jubilee.

The only criteria was that names had to start with “M”, as each intake of horses is assigned a letter, like a registration number.

Captain Alex Owen of 3 Troop The Blues and Royals said there had been one overwhelming favourite.

“Majesty was one of the most popular names in the public vote,” he told H&H.

“In this Jubilee year, it was an easy choice to make.”

Another popular choice was Montgomery, after the World War II commander. That name has gone to a large, mostly Irish draught horse, nicknamed Megatron by the soldiers, on account of his size.

And another new horse, Middleham, even has his own webpage. His name was proposed by a councillor from the North Yorkshire racing town and his progress is being followed closely by the local community.

Captain Owen said the regiment named one horse Musa Qal’eh in memory of fallen comrades. It is a town in southern Afghanistan that was captured by the Household Cavalry, but not without the loss of life.

“Musa Qal’eh the horse is a tribute to those men and their loss and a reminder that their sacrifice will not be forgotten,” he said.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/HCMR.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (17 May 2012)

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